American Vampire #26 Review

Doo-wop and vampires!

Like many long form comics, it's the side stories that take place in books like American Vampire #26 that are often my favorites. As much as I love the main characters that we follow and the ongoing, driving narrative, there's always something refreshing about taking a break from the plot and exploring the world a bit. That's exactly what Scott Snyder delivers alongside guest artist Roger Cruz, as he returns to the 50s, this time bringing back the character Calvin Poole, who we last saw in Ghost War.

The plot is deceptively simple here as Poole arrives in a small Alabama town to track down his brother. Given that it's the 50s in the deep south, a black stranger doesn't get the warmest welcome from many of the locals. However, Snyder twists expectations on their head once again, exploring the nature of Poole's vampirism not only through the lens of racism, but also the opposite to some degree, which has become a staple of this series whether we've realized it or not. Exploring the various species of vampire and what they think about one another has been a crux of American Vampire since the beginning, and Snyder dives a bit further into that idea here.

Snyder also uses this issue to play with some heavy monologue, something that was kept scarce in the Death Race arc. However, Cal's portrayal as a thinking, educated man lends itself nicely to the text-heavy nature of this issue, and as always, Snyder brings the book's narration full circle in the monologue, despite the issue ending on a cliffhanger. There is a jarring transition from the book's opening scene to Cal's arrival in town, but it's a minor hiccup that occurs before the meat of the book begins forming.

The addition of Roger Cruz to explore Cal's world is a fine one indeed; the artist maintains the general sensibilities of the series that Rafael Albuquerque has established, partially in thanks to the consistent color work of Dave McCaig. Who, by the way, should be commended here for his fantastic rendition of the 1950s; he dilutes the small town Americana aspect of the decade, leaving it just intact enough for the doo-wop group's sky blue suits to shine through. But mostly, the colors reflect the sentiments of our narrator, who says early in the book, "There seems to be a lot of talk about newness. About how the country is changing, evolving, becoming something new and exciting. I want to believe it. I do. But the taxonomist in me, he looks at the details, the small things, a glance, and sees the same old beast." It's a prime example of the art being a reflection of the writing, and it works fabulously.

American Vampire #26 continues the series' non-stop chain of quality comic booking, and I pity you greatly if you still haven't dabbled.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.